Christianity Flashcards
Summarise the origins of Christianity
Christianity originated in Israel during the period of Roman occupation, which began in 63 BCE. There were four major Jewish religious sects prominent during Jesus’ time.
Pharisses
- Scrupulous
- Focused on ritual purity and strict observation of the law
- They awaited a Messiah
Sadduccees
- Intent upon preserving the ancient traditions of Judaism
- Controlled the temple in the first century
- Rejected new ideas
Zealots
- Armed rebels who sought to overthrow Roman occupation in Palestine
- Especially active in Galilee
- They were devoted to the Torah
Anglicanism
Catholicism
Orthodoxy
Penetcostalism
What are the principal beliefs of Christianity
The Death and Resurrection
- Jesus died on the cross for humanity and rose into heaven
- Paschal Mystery
- Luke 9:22
- And he said, “the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Divinity and Humanity
- Jesus was fully human and fully divine. He came down from Heaven and walked amongst humanity
- Incarnation
- Hebrews 4: 14-15
- Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess
Trinity
- One god three persons
- Father, son, holy spirit
- 2 Corinthians 13:14
- May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy spirit be with you all
Revelation
- God has revealed himself to humanity throughout time
John 20:30-31
- Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in the book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Salvation
- A free gift of eternal life granted through the grace of God for those who have chosen to have a faith relationship with Him
John 3:16
- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
Describe the Bible and Outline its significance to adherents
Description
The Bible is not just one book but a collection of books organised into two sections of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Bible is often referred to as cannon which means no new writings can be added to it and is arranged in 1,189 chapters.
Role
- Viewed by all variants of Christianity as the basic source of belief and practice
- Central sacred text in Christianity
- Basis for many Christian beliefs
- Basis for prayer
- Provides guidelines for Christian behaviour
- Teaches about the nature of God and the ministry and teaching of Jesus
- Provides information about morality and ethics of believers
Examples
- “The Son of Man is Lord” - (Mark 2:28)
- “you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28)
- “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Great commandment)
How does the Bible demonstrate the principal beliefs of Christianity?
The nature of God and the Trinity
Matthew 28:19 ‘”Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
The divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ
John 1:14 “We have seen his glory of the One and Only who came from the father, full of grace and truth”
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
Luke 24: 6-8 “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”
Revelation
John 3:34 “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God”
Salvation
Matthew 1:21 “he will save his people from their sins”
Describe the role of the Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments are recorded in the book of Exodus (20:1-17) and Deuteronomy (5:6-21).
- The first three focus on the way people should conduct themselves with God. Involve acknowledging God as creator and giver of life.
- The next seven are about one’s obligations to other people. They provide order to a faithful society and reflect the first commandments by demanding respect for all people as God’s creations
Significance
- For Christian’s the Ten commandments are about respect and observance. The principles they set down should be taken to heart as a way of living rather than a set of boundaries.
Designed to elevate our lives above mere frantic, animal existence to the sublime levels humanity is capable of experiencing, they are the blueprint of God’s expectations of us and His plan for a meaningful, just, loving, and holy life
Describe the role of the New Testament Ethics
The Beatitudes
- Collection of teachings attributed to Jesus
- Set of virtues that reflect a Christian way of living
- The virtues that are esteemed by the Beatitudes, including poverty of spirit and a desire to see
justice done, are underpinned by a base of love.
- Christians view the Beatitudes, not as a competing set of values but as complementary pathways to God.
- “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed”
- “Blessed are the hearts that can bend, they shall never be broken”
Jesus’ Commandment of Love
- Requires a faithful Christian to offer one’s whole
self to God through unconditional love and respect for all people. It is a call to adopt the principles of the decalogue and the beatitudes and follow Jesus to the cross.
- Reflect their love and acceptance of God in the quality of their human relationships
The importance of Ethical Teachings
- Provides Christian adherents with responses to a wide range of issues
- Helps adherents make informed moral choices according to the principles of the tradition
- Christians seek to model their lives on the life and ministry of Jesus
- Jesus’ actions in the course of his life become guides for Christian adherents
- Christian adherents aim to live out God’s Kingdom on Earth; God’s will for Christians to live. It thus leads them to forward ultimately to the Kingdom of Heaven
- Guidance is also given through the teaching of the Christian tradition to current ethical issues
- Adherents draw on the Bible, conscience, tradition and authority to form ethical decisions to modern issues
Example
- The Catholic response to Global Warming “Humanity should be oriented to the protection of the earth which God has given us…..Global Warming is possibly the most disturbing environmental phenomenon of recent times.” – The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Statement on the Environment 2002, Catholic Earthcare Australia
